At Induron, we’re always thankful for our employees, but especially so around the holidays! Meet Stan Shook, Induron Chemist.
Stan creates paint formulas for Induron, and ensures they meet or exceed requirements for strength, durability and cost.
Stan began working at Induron in May of 1974. “I was trying to figure out what do to with my life,” he said. “I was driving a city delivery truck, and then one day saw an ad in the paper for a lab helper at Induron. I sent in my resume and, lo and behold, they called me.”
Stan started out as the “lab gopher,” doing typical things a new guy might do – getting raw materials, running errands and even a little cleaning. “I was definitely the low man on the Totem pole,” he said.
Eventually, however, others in the lab saw that Stan had a talent for matching colors. “They started letting me make color blends with dry pigments,” he said. “I matched colors really well, so I was promoted to Lab Technician. I started testing paints, and was catching on with how to formulate paints. Then in the late ‘70s or early ‘80s, I was promoted again to Formulating Chemist.”
In those days, Induron manufactured house paints for interiors and exteriors. Stan had a knack for those paints, and developed several lines of latex paints. He was also responsible for most of the gloss enamels and primers that Induron sold.
“Now, I mostly do industrial epoxies,” he said. “But when we get requests for some of the conventional paints from a long time ago, I still work on those projects today.”
So what keeps someone working at the same company for nearly 40 years? “I like the people,” Stan said. “It’s a family atmosphere here. I remember when Davies’ grandfather was president, and then when David took over. I’ve been here for three generations of Hoods, and they’re wonderful to work for. They care for their employees, and gave me an opportunity to work in a capacity I might not have been able to somewhere else.”
Stan said he’s had offers to go to other paint companies through the years, but he wanted to stay at Induron.
Induron President Davies Hood said, “Stan started working at Induron back when it was called Indurall Paints in 1974. He was a young musician looking to fill his time between gigs. He has literally worked his way up from the very bottom rung of the corporate ladder to become one of our esteemed Chemists. The technical department is the backbone of Induron Coatings.
“I think Stan epitomizes several of our Core Values: Respect simply because of his tenure. Reliability because of his attention to detail, particularly in panel prep, and Innovation because of the long line of successful products that he has created.”
Every day is different for Stan, which he enjoys. “One day I may get to bang up a panel to test a paint’s durability, and another I might get to pour acid over a coating to make sure it withstands all kinds of chemicals. I then tweak the paint formulas to ensure they are as near perfect as possible before we send them into production.”